Children with Asthma May Also Have Peanut Allergies

According to a recent study conducted by researchers at Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, children with asthma may also be sensitive to peanuts, and that could exacerbate asthma symptoms.

The researchers examined health data from 1,517 children with asthma who were treated at the pediatric pulmonary clinic at their hospital. They looked at whether the children had been diagnosed with a peanut allergy, and whether they had undergone a blood test for antibodies that would show an allergic reaction to peanuts. The results showed that of all children, 665 had undergone blood testing for peanut allergy, and 22 percent of those children tested positive for peanut sensitivity (without previously knowing about this sensitivity).

While the researchers said they aren't sure about the reason for a possible connection between peanut allergies and asthma, they recommended that children who have asthma get tested for this sensitivity because often the symptoms for both conditions overlap. If left untested and untreated, the allergy could possibly make a child’s asthma worse.

A study published in 2010 in the Journal of Pediatrics found that the rate of hospitalization of children with asthma and peanut allergies was twice as high as the rate among children with asthma who did not have peanut allergies.